The Grim Grotto

Is there anything left for the Baudelaires to lose? Snicket finds new ways to make their lives difficult, sending them into an underwater cave filled with a deadly fungus, and putting Sunny in serious danger when she is exposed to it. Klaus must use his research skills under pressure to find a cure, and the solution is both clever and funny. Count Olaf, meanwhile, appears in a submarine shaped like a giant octopus, as ridiculous as it is menacing.

This volume gives each sibling a moment to grow. Sunny discovers a real talent for cooking and is delighted by it. Klaus has his first crush, on Fiona, a fellow lover of books who must eventually choose between him and her own family. The book also deepens the series' moral questions, asking whether people are simply good or bad and showing that loyalty can be complicated. The narration remains as sly as ever.

Fans will enjoy the strange ocean setting and the new clues about the secret organization. The Penultimate Peril follows. Brett Helquist's gloomy illustrations suit the deep-sea setting perfectly. About 323 pages in the HarperCollins hardcover.